Refuse composting method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A method of composting garbage or refuse, in particular coarse refuse such as shrubs or bushes or the like, wherein the garbage is crushed and passed to a storage location, is to be improved in that the operation of crushing the garbage is effected while it is being picked up into a transportation vehicle and the crushed refuse is fed by the vehicle directly to a rotting dump. In addition the crushed refuse is to be conveyed, preferably by centrifugal force, to a downwardly open impact chamber which is closed all around and which stands up from the storage location, in which the refuse is distributed to form a rotting layer, whereupon the chamber is raised by the height of the layer and further material is built up on the surface thereof to produce a further layer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for compostinggarbage or refuse, in particular coarse refuse such as shrubs or bushesor the like, wherein the garbage is crushed and passed to a storagelocation. The invention also concerns a vehicle with a container foraccommodating the garbage, and a tail structure, which is suitable inparticular for carrying out that method.

A method of that nature, and an apparatus, with a roof covering over thestorage location, for carrying out the method, are to be found in thepresent inventor's AT patent specification No. 375 909; in thatarrangement, the refuse is crushed in a large-volume installation andfed to a large hall-like structure which extends over the decompositionlocation and which is provided with air passages beneath its floor. Theair is sucked out of the space above the material in the resulting silostructure and is then passed through the silo for cleaning purposes.

It is also known for domestic refuse to be picked up with a vehiclewhich has a container with a tail-mounted device for introducing therefuse thereinto, for it to be transported to a refuse hall or the like.

Being aware of that state of the art, the inventor set himself the aimof providing a method for permitting simplified processing and treatmentof refuse, in particular coarse refuse such as garden refuse or thelike, which is produced in comparatively small amounts at differentlocations.

In addition the invention seeks to provide an apparatus which, unlike alarge composting works, can be set up in simplified form.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

That object is attained in that the operation of crushing the garbage iseffected while it is being picked up into a transportation vehicle andthe crushed refuse is fed by the vehicle directly to a rotting layer. Ithas been found advantageous for the crushed refuse to be conveyed to animpact chamber or the like which is closed all around and which is opendownwardly and which stands up from the storage location, and for thecrushed refuse to be distributed in the chamber to form a rotting layer,preferably by means of centrifugal forces, wherein the chamber is raisedby the height of the rotting layer and further material is built up onthe surface thereof to produce a further layer.

Those features make it possible to produce in a simple fashioncomparatively small layer-like decomposition arrangements which can evenbe temporarily set up close to the location at which the refuse isproduced. In addition thereto, the vehicle according to the invention,as described hereinafter, picks up the coarse refuse at the location atwhich it occurs, and transports it in already crushed form to therotting apparatus into which it passes directly from the vehicle.

In accordance with the invention there is also provided a configurationof the transportation vehicle such that a slow-speed screw or cuttingmill is disposed downstream of an intake hopper and is arranged above aconveyor element and below an impact space, wherein the conveyor elementterminates at an opening through the rear wall of the container, or thelike, in order to transport the crushed refuse into the container.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, arranged downstream of theintake hopper is a high-speed impact rotor with a correspondingly curvedgrid which adjoins the impact circle thereof and which extends above theconveyor element between the intake hopper and a wall means of an impactspace, wherein the conveyor element also terminates at the openingthrough the rear wall of the vehicle. In particular that constructionpermits very effective crushing of undergrowth or brushwood, branchesand corresponding pieces of coarse refuse between the impact rotor andthe grid--the very finely crushed particles drop on to the conveyorelement through the grid while hard items are slung upwardly in theimpact space and are caught above the impact space. In that way it ispossible for the crushed refuse to be dumped immediately.

For reasons of better handling, it has been found advantageous for thefilling hopper to be arranged above the vehicle bed or platform, whichis possible without problems arising as the impact rotor readily`gobbles up` coarse and garden refuse, that is to say the danger ofbranches or the like being slung back in the opposite direction to thedirection of conveying movement is eliminated.

A collecting box which, in accordance with the invention, is arrangedabove the impact space, for catching hard items which are slung up, isconnected to the impact space through an opening which is closed bymeans of a flap; the hard items knock the flap open and pass into thecollecting box, and then the flap automatically drops back on to theopening.

A thrust plate is associated on the one hand with the impact rotor andon the other hand with the through opening in the rear wall of thecontainer, to provide the conveyor element. The purpose of the thrustplate is to move small material which trickles out of the grid upwardlyto the container, with a thrust edge. A plurality of conveyor screws mayalso be provided instead of the thrust plate.

The tail structure can be pivoted away from the tail or rear of thevehicle about an axis which lies approximately at the roof of thecontainer, and then frees a discharge conveyor device, disposed beneaththe tail structure, for the refuse which is to be discharged. Thatpivotal movement of the tail structure away from the tail of the vehicleis effected prior to the operation of unloading the container--in thatoperation, a thrust plate or wall member pushes the refuse to thedischarge conveyor device which is preferably in the form of acollecting screw and is connected to a conveyor conduit. Prior to theoperation of discharging the crushed refuse, the conveyor conduit isconnected to an outside conduit in which, by means of a screw or bycompressed air, the very small particles of refuse are passed to adistributor device which has still to be described.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, towards its roofthe vehicle carries a slewing ring or a corresponding element with agrab arm having a grab device which is pivotable about the vehicle. Thatprovides that the coarse refuse can be picked up around the vehicle andpassed to the intake hopper. Grab devices of that kind are known per sefor example from German utility model No 84 33 929, but in the case ofthe vehicle according to the invention, in their particularconfiguration, they are of great benefit, particularly when the grab armis provided with a pivot or hinge and the two parts of the arm areconnected by means of a hydraulic cylinder.

An apparatus for producing a layer rotting arrangement or silo on astorage location is of independent inventive significance; in accordancewith the invention the roof is forced in a cover lid-like configurationwith a wall means which is suspended therefrom and which extendstherearound in an apron-like configuration, to form a distributor orimpact chamber for refuse supplied thereto, and is mounted to be movableto different vertical spacings relative to the storage location. Thatroof is preferably in the form of a boiler end plate-like structure andthe apron-like wall means hangs downwardly therefrom for example over aheight of 800 mm. The roof is set with the lower edge of the wall meansor apron structure on to the ground, thus providing a distributorchamber for the crushed refuse which is supplied at the apex of theroof. From there, the refuse can be driven by means of a cell-type wheelmember or a corresponding centrifuging device against the inward side ofthe wall means which is stable in respect of shape and which forms animpact wall for the outwardly slung particles, so that a rotting layerof a thickness which approximately corresponds to the height of the wallmeans is built up in a simple fashion.

It has been found advantageous for the height of the wall means to bevariable, for example by virtue of concentric rings, so that evendecomposition layers of small height can be laid out. It is known thatlayer thicknesses of about 20 mm have been found to be particularlyexpedient in regard to the rotting or composting process.

The layer rotting arrangement is preferably built up on a floor platewhich is provided with air passages and which includes support pillarsfor the roof; the latter is mounted on the support pillars and isadjustable in respect of height by means of a cable arrangement or thelike. Such adjustment in respect of height permits a plurality of layersto be arranged in superposed relationship, as described above, while inaddition it determines the definitive height of the rotting layerarrangement which is preferably 5 to 6 meters.

In accordance with the invention the support pillars are arranged tocarry air and are each connected to a respective air passage and airpipe of the floor plate. That provides an air system which readilypermits venting and ventilation of the silo configuration produced.Preferably the air which accumulates in the head space or the spaceabove the material in question, as described in AT patent specificationNo. 375 909, is fed to the composting material from below and is passedthrough same, with a cleaning action. It will be appreciated howeverthat it is also possible for the air to be sucked downwardly through thematerial. Depending on the air circuit configuration, the supportpillars are integrated into same as air feed or as air dischargemembers.

The roof itself is of a comparatively simple construction, comprising astiffening tubular frame structure of a generally boiler end plate-likecontour, which carries a roof skin which is stretched thereover,preferably comprising canvas or tent material, and also carries the wallmeans or skirt.

All in all the arrangement provides a major simplification in thecrushing and composting operation for coarse refuse, in particular forgarden or field refuse which is collected at central points.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages, features and details of the invention will beapparent from the following description of preferred embodiments andwith reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle shown partly in section,

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged detail from FIG. 1, viewing in the direction ofthe arrow II therein;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged detail from FIG. 1 concerning anotherembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a part of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the part shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view in longitudinal section through acomposting apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a part of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a view on an enlarged scale and in vertical section through apart of FIG. 6

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A collection vehicle 10 comprises, on a vehicle bed or platform 12 whichextends over pneumatic tires 11 a square box-like container structure14, the roof 15 of which, adjacent the front wall 16 adjoining a drivingcab 13, carries a slewing ring 19 for a grab arm 20. A lower arm 21 ispivotally connected to the latter and is controllable by means of ahydraulic cylinder 23 associated with the pivot or hinge 22. A grabdevice 24 is suspended at the free end of the lower arm 21. The grabarrangement 20 through 24 is pivotable about the entire vehicle 10.

A thrust wall member 28 is disposed in the interior 26 of the container,movable in the direction indicated by the arrow X, by means of ahydraulic cylinder 23, between the front wall 16 and an inclinedcollecting or tail wall member 17.

A tail structure or attachment 30 on the vehicle 10 is provided with anoutwardly projecting filling hopper 32 for coarse refuse such as bushesor shrubs or the like. The bottom 33 of the hopper 32, which is inclinedat an angle w of for example 40° relative to the horizontal H is facedat a spacing a by a pressing plate 35 which can be pivoted by means of ahydraulic cylinder 23_(p) and which is pivotally mounted above a cuttingor screw mill 36 with low-speed rollers. The mill 36 is disposedupstream of a retaining device 38, a flap, a comb or swinging toothmembers, which covers a base slot 39 in the wall member 17.

A thrust plate 40 with a hydraulic cylinder 41 extends beneath the screwor cutting mill 36 in parallel relationship therewith and at an angle tof about 45° relative to the horizontal H. Hydraulic devices 42 whichare arranged further up also permit the tail structure to be pivotedaway from the vehicle about an axis 29 in the region of the roof.

A conveyor screw 45 extends beneath the thrust plate 40 which isprovided with a thrust edge 43, and above a hopper 44. The air conduit46 of a fan or blower 47 communicates with the hopper 44; shown at theother end is a quick-action connection 48 for an outside conduit whichis indicated at 49.

In the preferred embodiment of the tail structure 30_(n) as shown inFIG. 3, rubber aprons 51 hang from the cover or top 34 of the fillinghopper 32 into the space 32_(a) in the hopper, for safety reasons. Aspiked draw-in roller 52 which is adapted to be pivoted in parallel-axisarrangement is provided downstream of the rubber aprons 51 in thedirection of introduction of the material as indicated at y, andarranged beneath the roller 52 and above a curved grid 54 is an impactrotor 56 as is described by way of example in the specification onGerman utility model No 87 04 007. The curved grid 54 is disposedbetween the bottom 33 of the filling hopper 32 and an inclinedintermediate wall portion 58 which, with an outside wall portion 59 ofthe tail structure 30, delimits an impact space 60. The wall portion 59terminates at the impact rotor 56 with an impact comb 61.

Adjoining the impact space 60 in an upward direction is a collecting box62 for stones 63 or the like hard items which pass upwardly through anopening 65 in a transverse plate 66 and which can be removed as desired.The opening 65 in the transverse plate 66 can be closed by means of aflap 64. When the stones 63 or the like are slung upwardly, the flap 64is opened in an upward direction and then automatically drops back on tothe opening 65.

The members 44 to 49 which have been described with reference to FIG. 1are also to be found in the FIG. 3 structure but are omitted from thedrawing for the sake of improved clarity.

Instead of the thrust plate 40 which is shown on an enlarged scale inFIG. 5, it is also possible to envisage the provision of a plurality ofconveyor screws as feed members for feeding the particulate materialwhich drops down through the grid 54 to the interior 26 of thecontainer; the coarse refuse such as shrubs, bushes or the like is fedto the impact rotor 56 by way of the draw-in roller 52 which is movablein axis-parallel relationship, crushed by means of the rotor 56 over thecurved grid 54, and drops through the latter on to the thrust plate 40.From there or, as stated, from a corresponding conveyor, the crushedpieces pass into the container interior 26; hard items are slungupwardly through the space 60 into the collecting box 62.

When the vehicle 10 has arrived at the point of unloading thereof, asshown in FIG. 6, the tail structure 30, 30_(n) is pivoted upwardly aboutits axis 29 and the discharge devices 44 through 48 are set inoperation; the outside conduit 49 is connected and the thrust wallmember 28 begins to push the contents of the container towards the baseslot 39 in the tail wall member 17.

The crushed refuse which is free of hard items passes through atrough-like intermediate station 68 with integrated conveyor screw or byway of a pneumatic conveyor installation 69 to a small-scale rottinginstallation 70.

As shown in FIG. 7, the installation 70 has an approximately circularpolygonal floor plate 72, of a diameter d of 11 meters and with an edgelength e of the polygon of rather more than 280 cm, with a subaequoralpassage system; an underground air passage is shown in FIG. 7 at 73,other passages are only indicated. They extend radially from a center 74of the structure and are provided with upwardly facing slots or holes(not visible in the drawing) for the feed or discharge of air.

Also shown in FIG. 7 and 8 are air pipes 76 which on the one hand extendfrom the center 74 to a connecting point 75, with a suction orcompression device, and from there to vertical pipes 77 of which threeare contained in support pillars 78 for a roof 80.

The roof 80 comprises a tubular ring 81 and spoke-like tubes 82 whichextend therefore at an angle q, consisting of Siderohr 82.5/3.2, forminga pointed roof structure for a roof membrane 83, preferably for a canvasor tent material skin. At the apex 74_(z) of the roof, a vertical feedshaft 85 is connected to a pneumatic conveyor installation 69 or thelike, while an annular apron or skirt 86 of a height n of about 800 mmis fixed beneath the roof membrane 83 to the roof structure 81/82. Theskirt or apron 86 can be adjusted.

The roof 80 is guided movably vertically on its support pillars 78 up toa height h of about 5 meters (upper position as shown at 80' in FIG. 6),and is additionally secured by adjustable lateral lanyards 87. In theillustrated embodiment, displacement of the roof 80 is effected by meansof the crank 88 of a cable arrangement 89.

In order to set up a silo M, the lower edge 90 of the roof is set on tothe floor 72, then fine refuse is centrally supplied through the shaft85 by way of the conduit 69 and slung radially outwardly by means of acentrifuging member 84. In that operation the annular skirt or apron 86forms an impact wall, acting as a boundary means. When a bottomcomposting layer M₁ of a height z of for example 200 to 400 mm has beenproduced, the roof 80 is raised approximately by that dimension z and afurther layer is formed.

In that way it is possible to control rotting and composting in alayer-wise manner, while fresh water or fertilizers which have beenpumped up can trickle down out of spray pipes 91 in the roof region, andwet the silo M.

Ventilation of the silo M₁ or M is effected by the above-described airpassages 73 and the upwardly directed slots thereof; the air moves frombelow through the silo M and is collected in the head space above thematerial, that is to say, in the interior 79 of the roof, in order to becarried downwardly again into the air passages 73 in the floor. It isalso possible for air which is present there, from the interior 79 ofthe roof, to be transferred into an adjoining silo arrangement.

It will be appreciated that it is within the scope of the invention forthe air circuit to be of a different configuration, that is to say forthe air to be sucked through the silo arrangement towards the floor fromthe interior 79 of the roof, and for it to be discharged through the airpassages 73.

In both cases the vertical pipe or tube 77 in the support pillar 78 ispart of the venting and ventilation system. It may be connected to theinterior 79 of the roof by means of sliding connector members in amanner not shown in the drawing.

I claim:
 1. Apparatus for producing a layer rotting arrangement or siloon a storage location with a roof extending thereover, which comprises:astorage location for rotting refuse; a roof or a cover, lid-likeconfiguration over said storage location; a wall means suspended fromthe roof, said wall means extending around the roof in an apron likeconfiguration; a means located within said storage location for slingingrefuse radially outward from a center of said storage location; meansfor movably mounting the roof to different spacings relative to thestorage location; and at least one feed shaft for the refuse whichpasses through the roof and a feed conveyor conduit for the refuseconnected to the at least one feed shaft.
 2. Apparatus according toclaim 1 wherein the wall means is variable with respect to its height.3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the wall means is stable withrespect to its shape.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein saidmeans for slinging refuse is disposed on the feed shaft forapproximately horizontal ejection of the refuse.
 5. Apparatus accordingto claim 1 including a floor plate of said storage location, airpassages connected to said floor plate, and support pillars for the roofrising from the floor plate, wherein the roof is adjustable mounted withrespect to height on the support pillars.
 6. Apparatus according toclaim 5 including cable means on the support pillars t which the roof isfixed.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the support pillarsinclude means for carrying air connected to air passages on the floorplate.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the apparatus and floorplate have an approximately circular polygonal configuration in plan. 9.Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the wall means is apron-like andthe roof includes a roof skin, wherein the roof includes a stiffeningtubular frame structure connected to the wall means.
 10. Apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein the roof has a contour of a boiler andplate-like configuration with a central point, and wherein the feedshaft is disposed in said central point.
 11. Apparatus according toclaim 1 including a means in said roof to dispense a fluid orfertilizing agent onto the rotting layer in said storage location below.